As the Indian Premier League (IPL) nears its decisive phase, talks over the resumption of international cricket have begun, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) contemplating leadership options for the tour of England in June. While Rohit Sharma has expressed his desire to remain India’s Test captain, a report has revealed that no guarantee over his role has been given by the management. In fact, many see the 5-match Test series as an opportunity to begin the transition period in the longest format.
Despite a woeful tour of Australia, where rumours of Rohit contemplating retirement were also afloat, the skipper decided against announcing any change. Many feel the Test series against England could be Rohit’s last. But, the 38-year-old doesn’t seem to have finalised his plans yet.
As per a report in the Times of India, the BCCI could give Shubman Gill the vice-captain’s role in England, having already made him the deputy in T20Is and ODIs. A senior Indian cricketer, however, has also expressed desire to take up the captaincy role in the short term, but the board, selectors and the coaches are only keen on exploring a long-term solution.
The paper claims that even head coach Gautam Gambhir would want a long-term solution to the problem. Stop-gap options simply don’t interest him.
“A new WTC cycle is starting. Future and continuity have to be kept in mind as far as the team is concerned. Even coach Gautam Gambhir would want a set of players he is likely to work with for an extended period. There can’t be any stop-gap solutions for such an important series. The last two Test series haven’t been ideal for the team and the England series is very crucial,” the paper quoted a source as saying.
With Gill, however, the problem of his inconsistency with the bat also remains. Though he has taken up the No. 3 spot in the Indian Test team, vacated by Cheteshwar Pujara, his exploits with the bat have been far from convincing.
Of the 1893 Test runs that Gill has scored in his career, only 649 have come away from home. The England tour, hence, is expected to be quite challenging for the India batter, not only from his own batting point of view, but also from the perspective of a leadership candidate.
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